Ministry proposes visa-exempt extension for Russians

Hanoi, July 25 (VNA) - The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proposed extending the visa exemption duration for Russian tourists from 15 days to 30 days. The ministry on July 24 said it has sent the proposal to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and plans to submit the same request for those from countries that have unilaterally practiced visa exemption for Vietnamese tourists. The move is said to attract more foreigners to Vietnam and provide them with more favourable conditions while staying here. The number of Russian arrivals in Vietnam rose from 49,000 in 2009 to more than 298,000 in 2013, according to the General Statistics Office and the National Administration of Tourism. The figure reached nearly 194,000 in the first half of 2014, up 25.9 percent from a year earlier, and is expected to hit 1 million by 2017. Vietnam is applying the 30-day visa exemption for citizens from nine of the 10 ASEAN member nations. Those from seven others are also benefiting from the 15-day exemption, namely Japan, the Republic of Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Russia.-VNA